The Man in Possession — page 43: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

28 THE MAN IN POSSESSI04. jured, and he seemed greatly concerned about her. The young man was wonderfully interested in the mat- ter. It was an odd thing that he should draw Fletcher aside and hold a long and earnest colloquy with him —emphasised by the chink of coin that seemed by no means unwelcome to the elder official. Perhaps had Biddy’s mind been less preoccupied with domestic and personal matters, she would have wondered why the young man should be so eagerly Offering his services again for the next evening should Fletcher wish to go to the hospital. Perhaps, too, she might have thought it somewhat singular that the ‘‘substitute” should be willing to pay in good sound coin of the realm for his temporary duties. It was not at all wonderful that Fletcher should accept such an offer. He would have had to pay a substitute if he left the house while supposed to be in charge of it, and here was a young man actually willing and eager to pay kzm for that post. It was certainly an odd freak, but then the life of a bailiff is a constant series of discoveries more or less odd and inconsistent on the part of human nature. Nothing would have surprised Fletcher very much, and he agreed readily to a bargain in whichall the advan- tage lay on his side, and all the inconvenience on the other. ‘‘T’m afraid the young lady will be annoyed at her servant's condition,” said the new substitute, as he surveyed that worthy personage, who was sitting, with an air of great dignity, on her chair, gazing at the nearly extinct fires Now and then she madea i COMicloe (Sri C(O)